After the War
by physicssquid
Summary: Someone's in mourning the one he loves, but love will always win. Slash, if you peer closely. Rated T to be safe.


**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, JK Rowling does, I'm just playing in her sandpit for a while.**

**After the War**

Harry Potter was sitting at a bar, nursing his tenth firewhisky, and trying very hard to forget. To forget all the people who died in the war which ended three years previously. For this night he had put on a glamour, so as to hide his features, as he knew that if he didn't then people would hound him.

There were others in the bar who, just like he was, were trying to forget the deaths of their loved ones, and soon, someone stood up to raise a toast.

"To those who lost their lives in the last battle three years ago today." He shouted, and everyone, including Harry raised their glasses in agreement.

"To Colin Creevey, the best older brother a guy could wish for." Dennis Creevey yelled.

"To Fred Weasley, Prankster extraordinaire." The Weasley family cheered.

Albus Dumbledore, Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans-Potter, all these names and more were shouted out until Harry stood up quietly and said, "There's one name that should be honoured here today above all others. The name of a man, a hero, who risked everything to deceive Tom Marvolo Riddle. A man who died in MY ARMS. A man, whom I respected, loved, and without whom, the war would never have been won. So I declare a toast, to Severus Tobias Snape, the spy who gave his life to defeat Voldemort."

"Hear hear." A few people murmured, before turning back to their neighbours and muttering about how he was deluded and mad.

Harry knocked back the last of his firewhisky and as he ordered another, he noticed a man come and stand behind him. He appeared to be staring at Harry oddly, which really annoyed Harry to no end.

"Are you going to tell me how mad I am for saying all of that?" He slurred. "Cos I don't care any more."

"No, I was just going to say that you are an interesting man, Mr Potter." The man said.

"How did you know?" Harry asked, the shock of hearing his name clearing some of the fog from his mind.

"Only you would know all about Severus." Was the calm reply. "Only you would know the truth of his sacrifice."

"Only me and Voldemort, and he's dead too." Harry said, "funny, most of the people I know die, either by my hand or because of me. Sometimes I wonder, if I hadn't been born, would they have lived, or would they still be dead?"

"You are drunk." The man said sounding slightly amused.

"Yeah, I am." Harry shrugged, "it's the only way I can get rid of the dreams without taking Dreamless Sleep every night."

"Maybe you need someone to talk to." The man suggested. "Maybe you need to tell someone of these dreams."

"And burden someone else with my nightmares." Harry laughed humourlessly. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"A second opinion may possibly help you understand and come to terms with what's happened." The man said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Who are you?" Harry asked suddenly, "I feel like I should know you, but I can't think where from."

"You may call me Tobias, but that isn't my real name." The man said, sitting down next to Harry, smirking slightly.

The name and the familiar-looking smirk cleared more of the alcohol-induced fog from Harry's mind and he started wondering, but decided not to voice his thoughts for fear of being ridiculed. "I gather from what you just said, that you also have to hide your true identity when out in public, like I do." He said eventually.

"Something like that." Tobias smiled, though it looked slightly wrong, as if he didn't smile that often. "And you aren't the only one who has nightmares, even three years after the war ended." He added.

"So, do you dream of all the people who died in your presence?" Harry asked, "I know I do."

"Yes," Tobias smiled sadly. "I also dream of all those I was forced to kill."

"I still see them all, especially the way they died, Cedric Diggory killed simply because he was 'the spare', Sirius falling through the veil, Dumbledore, lying broken at the bottom of the Astronomy tower, Colin, tiny in death, Fred, Remus, Tonks." Harry sobbed slightly, "And him, the man I fell in love with, lying in a pool of his own blood, dying from wounds caused by that damned snake."

Tobias drew in a sharp breath, surprised at the depth of Harry's love and pain. He wondered how to mention the fact that he wasn't as dead as Harry believed him to be, but the only way he could see, was to simply say it. "Harry." He said, making the young man look straight at him, "I'm taking a risk here, and I hope it's worth it, but I have to tell you something." He sighed, trying to work up enough courage before speaking again, "You see, Severus isn't dead, he merely fell into a coma, and woke up a few months ago, in St. Mungo's."

"I've got to go and see him." Harry murmured, "I need to tell him how I feel."

"He was released from the hospital three weeks ago." Tobias said softly, "he already knows how you feel, and feels the same way about you." He added, gently running a thumb down the side of Harry's face, before removing the glamour to reveal the thin, sallow skinned visage of Severus Snape. He appeared slightly thinner than he had before, and his skin was paler than ever, but to Harry he still looked gorgeous.

Harry didn't really know what he was doing, but he did know that if he didn't he knew he would regret it, so he reached forward and gently kissed Severus on the lips.

_For what happens next, you'll all have to use your imaginations._


End file.
